Wellington Badminton Club (Shropshire)

Wellington Badminton Club (Shropshire)

History

A Brief History of Wellington Badminton Club

The earliest records for Wellington Badminton Club dated back to 1932. At this time the club played at New Hall in Wellington and annual subscriptions amounted to the princely sum of £1-15s-0d (one pound and 15 shillings). The club joined the County Badminton Association in 1933 and started playing matches in the Shropshire league. An interesting fact about the club at this time was that it instituted a ‘Dance Committee’ to organise dances that would subsidise the finances of the club. 

In 1939 war broke out and the club was dissolved and reformed as a ‘War Time Club’ although there are no records of how active the club was during this time. The next records for Wellington Badminton Club appear in 1947. The club continued to grow and prosper in the post-war years with a membership of around 20-30. The club even benefitted from a premium bond win in 1974/75 of £1000.

However, by 1982 the fortunes of the club had declined. Membership had dwindled to just five members and the club was forced to look for a new venue to play badminton. The situation was resolved when the club amalgamated with the YMCA Club, which also played in the town, to form the Wellington YMCA Badminton Club. The new club played in the YMCA rooms in Wellington. 

In the early 1990s the club moved to the newly constructed sports hall at Wrekin College. Around this time the club reverted to the name ‘Wellington Badminton Club’ as it was felt there was no longer an association with the YMCA. Membership was high at this time with a large number of younger players. Play continued at Wrekin College on Friday evenings until 2006 when the Shropshire County Cricket Association took over the Friday slot at Wrekin College and the Badminton Club was forced to look for courts elsewhere. The club moved to the sports hall at Telford College of Arts and Technology (TCAT).

The move to TCAT coincided with a drop in membership. In 2011 it was decided that neither the location of the venue nor the Friday club night was conducive to recruiting new members. For this reason the club moved to Tuesday night sessions in the sports hall at Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic College (BRJ) in Wellington. Membership increased rapidly with around 20 regular senior members, 6 juniors and numerous visitors. 

In July 2015 BRJ school closed and in September 2015 pupils and staff transferred to the newly built Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) at Priorslee. We also transferred to the new school. However, our stay at HTA was to prove short-lived. In February 2016 Wellington Badminton Club, along with other clubs, received notification from the school that they would no longer be hiring out their facilities. On 1st March 2016 the club moved to its current home of Ercall Wood Technology College Sports Hall.

The club plays on Tuesday evenings from 8.00 to 10.00pm. We are a relaxed and friendly club and welcome new members and visitors.  Beginners and those who would simply like some exercise are welcome to join us. There is the possibility of coaching for those people who would like this. We play in the Shropshire leagues for those people who like to play at a competitive level. We also organise a number of social events throughout the year.

Jerry Seymour
Chairperson
Wellington Badminton Club